Osun APC Needs A unifier To Defeat Governor Ademola Adeleke (1) – By Kolade Ismail
Punditry on Osun politics is a very difficult task because of the peculiar diversity of the people. It is difficult to find a politician in the state that has a cult of supporters beyond his immediate geographic area.
The incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke’s cult of supporters are from Ede. Former Governor Bisi Akande’s electoral influence is mostly restricted to his Igbomina people. Same with Senator Iyiola Omisore, whose electoral values are concentrated in the Ife zone. What of the former SSG, Alhaji Adeoti? His electoral values are most appreciated in his Iwo constituency.
Unfortunately, no zone or town in Osun State has electoral might to solely determine the outcome of a Governorship poll. Even Osogbo with its huge electoral numbers, cannot solely determine who wins the governorship election even if in reality, the town’s support cannot be discounted by any serious politician in the State.
It is only the sitting governor that enjoys a seemingly state-wide appeal because he can authoritatively allocate values to win wide appeal. And this eventually fizzles as governance takes its toll. Baba Akande’s crisis with the labour and his then Deputy Governor Omisore weakened his state-wide appeal. Governor Oyetola’s fight with his erstwhile predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, terribly curtailed his state-wide acceptability. This, more or less, contributed to the loss of the return election of Oyetola.
The “disgruntled” workers and Omisore’s political machines teamed up with Omo-Oba Oyinlola to defeat Baba Àkàndé. Rauf’s people formed an infamous alliance with the Adelekes to hound Oyetola out of power.
With his Edenization scheme and family-driven style of governance, Adeleke is already alienating himself from the state-wide appeal that took him into the Bola Ige House. But this isn’t enough to stop him from winning his return election in 2026 more so with the pedestrian understanding of good governance by the masses who might see mere construction of bridges to be emblematic of dividends of democracy despite the patent failures of the government to deliver on human capital development and solve the hunger crisis beleaguering the same people. APC has a difficult task of selecting a unifier candidate to confront Adeleke.
It doesn’t matter where the candidate comes from; East, West or Central, the most important task before APC elders , particularly the current Minister and former Governor Oyetola, is to give the party a unifier.
And the unifier, must typically possess certain key attributes that enable him/her to bring people together and foster a sense of unity within the party. Here are some of the what I consider the most important ones:
– *Inclusivity*: The unifier candidate must be ready to make a conscious effort to include people from diverse political backgrounds, religions, and ideologies in their campaign and decision-making process. The unifier must appeal to the Oranmiyan group and other disparate groups in APC.
– *Strong Leadership*: he/she must possess strong leadership qualities, such as strategic thinking, effective communication, and the ability to inspire and motivate others.
– *Emotional Intelligence*: The unifier candidate must have high emotional intelligence, which enables him/her to understand and empathize with the concerns, problems and emotions of the people.
– *Integrity and Trustworthiness*: The unifier must be known for his/her integrity, transparency, and trustworthiness, which help to build trust and credibility with his/her constituents.
– *Ability to Listen*: The unifier candidate must be an active listener, willing to hear and consider different perspectives, even if he/she disagrees with them.
– *Non-Divisive Rhetoric*: The unifier must be someone who inculcates the virtue of avoiding using divisive language or rhetoric that may alienate or offend certain groups of people.
– *Fostering Collaboration*: The unifier candidate must encourage collaboration and cooperation among different stakeholders, including party members, community leaders, and other politicians.
– *Visionary Thinking*: The unifier must have a clear and compelling vision for the future, which inspires and motivates others to work towards a common goal.
In the second instalment of this piece, I will review individuals who have shown interests in flying APC ticket in the Osun Governorship election in 2026 to fish out who I consider the unifier.
Kolade Ismail, a politician, writes from Ode-Omu in Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State
